This invention relates to a device for mounting a decorative molding in position about the periphery of the windshield or rear window of an automobile.
As is well known, when a glass plate is inserted in the front or rear window opening of an automobile to form a windshield or rear window, a molding is mounted along the opening left between the peripheral edge of the window and the edge of the glass plate so as to fill up the opening and, at the same time, give a decorative effect to the boundary. Various methods have heretofore been proposed for the placement of such moldings. In the case of an operation wherein there is used a molding made of a metallic sheet, the work of attachment of the molding should be carried out with the utmost precaution exercised to prevent the molding from scraping off the paint already applied to the peripheral edge of the window.
Among the methods suggested to date, there are, for example, included a method which comprises planting a plurality of studs at suitable intervals along the peripheral edge of a window, allowing a glass plate to be fastened to said peripheral edge with the medium of an adhesive agent, immobilizing the glass plate against the window frame by having plastic clips brought into hooking engagement with said studs and securing a molding by means of the clips and another method which comprises preparatorily setting clips made of a resilient metal sheet in position along the edge of a glass plate, immobilizing the glass plate against the window frame with the medium of an adhesive agent applied to the peripheral edge of the window and, at the same time, immobilizing the clips and thereafter bringing a molding into hooking engagement with the immobilized clips.
The former method has a disadvantage that the studs to which the clips are fastened must be welded in advance to the window frame and the fastening of the clips requires experience on the part of workers and the latter method similarly has a disadvantage that it cannot easily be adapted for incorporation into an assembly line because of the complicated work involved in the preparatory application of adhesive agent to the window frame and a highly skilled work required in the setting of glass plate in the window and, worse still, the use of clips made of a metallic material entails a possibility of inflicting damage to the coated surface of the window frame during the work of their insertion and consequently rendering the window frame susceptible to rusting.
The applicant formerly developed a molding clip as disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 799,863 for overcoming the various shortcomings suffered by the conventional devices for the attachment of moldings.
The invention of said U.S. Application aims to provide a molding clip assemblage, which comprises clips having a double-faced adhesive tape attached to the rear surface thereof, molding catches and resilient holder pieces serving to receive resiliently the edge of a glass plate, whereby the glass plate and a molding are secured to the window frame by causing the exposed surface of the adhesive tape applied to the clips to be attached to the window frame, allowing the edge of the glass plate to rest on the resilient holder pieces and inserting the molding between the window frame and the rear surfaces of the clips so as to be held in position by the molding catches. The clips are further provided each on their rear surfaces with a protective tongue piece adapted to protect the window frame from damage otherwise possibly sustained during the insertion of the molding between the window frame and the clips.
This molding clip assemblage has eliminated the disadvantages suffered by the conventional methods of molding attachment and has made it possible to smoothly and efficiently attach glass plates and moldings to automobile bodies in automobile assembly line without doing any harm to the coated peripheral edges of window frames. Where the molding is mounted by the medium of such clips, however, since the protective tongue pieces serving to furnish necessary protection for the clips fastened at proper intervals to the peripheral edge of the window frame intervene between the edge of the molding and the peripheral edge of the window frame, there inevitably occur gaps having a thickness at least equalling that of said protective tongue pieces between the edge of the molding and the peripheral edge of the window frame. From the occurrence of these gaps, there ensue various problems such as loss of imperviousness of the molding to rainwater and dust from the ambience and unaesthetic exposure to sight of the leading ends of such underlying protective tongue pieces.
The present invention has originated in a study which was motivated by the persisting problems mentioned above and was launched in search of a device capable of providing efficient attachment of the molding while, similarly to the preceding improvement, doing absolutely no harm to the coated peripheral edge of the window frame.
An object of the present invention is to provide a molding clip assemblage which enables the molding to be secured to the window frame without inflicting any damage upon the coated peripheral edge of window frame and without entailing occurrence of gaps between the window frame and the molding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a molding clip assembly which can be easily and inexpensively produced integrally by the injection molding of a plastic material and which provides excellent workability because of the great ease with which the clips are correctly positioned and the molding is mounted in position.